Biopic of Mary Shelley & Her Frankenstein to make theatrical debut at Off the Shelf Festival

From the 25, 26, 27 October, as part of the Off the Shelf Festival, step into the gothic past with Mary Shelley and Her Frankenstein, a thrilling production that weaves together the legacy of an astonishing writer and her iconic monster.

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein at the age of 19. In this show, award-winning playwright Hattie Naylor weaves together Shelley’s letters, what is known about the author’s tragic life and her ground-breaking novel to create an unmissable piece of immersive theatre that explores the boundaries of science and humanity.

The performance celebrates the enduring legacy of the timelessly haunting Frankenstein and will be brought to life on stage by Hallam’s performance students.

Naylor is a professor of Stage and Screen at Sheffield Hallam University and her writing credits include Ivan and the Dogs, The Night Watch, Going Dark, As the Crow Flies, and Bluebeard. Ivan and the Dogs (Soho Theatre and ATC) was nominated in the Olivier Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre, won the Tinniswood Award in 2010, and has been performed to further acclaim internationally.

The film adaptation of the play: Lek and the Dogs, directed by Andrew Kötting premiered at the London Film Festival 2018.

Now established as one of the largest literary festivals in the UK, Sheffield’s Off The Shelf Festival attracts some of the best known names in literature and media to the city every year.

This year the programme includes over 130 events across a wide range of themes and interests giving visitors of all ages the opportunity to meet great writers, historians, artists, scientists, comedians, journalists and musicians in a host of varied locations across the city.

Sheffield Hallam University’s vision is to become the world’s leading applied university, transforming lives and creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds. The Off the Shelf festival is the only literary festival to be curated jointly by two universities– Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield– and promises to offer something for everyone.

This year, the much loved festival of the arts has been curated around three diverse themes: Suffrage 100, Frankenstein 200 and Circus 250.

The festival’s Frankenstein strand has been curated by Professor Chris Wigginton, Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Sheffield Hallam University. He explains: “Frankenstein 200 celebrates the bicentenary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s ground-breaking novel. We are delighted to be showcasing a wide range of events exploring the multitude of ways that Shelley’s classic has infused popular culture, and how her enduring myth continues to speak directly to contemporary anxieties around technology, science, gender and ‘the other’.”

Don’t miss one of literature’s greatest characters brought to life from the page to the stage. Mary Shelley and her Frankenstein will be performed at Performance Lab, Sheffield Hallam University on Thursday 25th, Friday 26th and Saturday 27th October at 7:30pm. Tickets are £6/£5 and the production is being promoted as part of Off the Shelf.